You Bastard, I Love You!
by Ino Fujiwara
Summary: Hana Fujiwara is new in Ikebukuro. She has an alarming past and wishes to kill herself. But who decides to save her? The famous manipulative information broker, with ulterior motive, of course.
1. Chapter 1: First Impressions

I looked out of my windows at the bleak and starless night sky. There was no reason for me to continue living anymore, was there? I placed my palm against the cool glass and glanced down at the 20 feet below me. Without thinking, I pushed open the glass and stepped out, placing my feet along the windowsill, then hung them as I sat along the edge.

"Maybe I should just jump," I muttered to myself. But was this really my best option?

"Well now, that might cause some damage from this height, don't you think?"

I whipped my head around to see who had broken in through my locked front door. To my surprise, a young man in his early 20's stood in my doorway with a pocket knife clutched in his hand. I said nothing, but turned to face him. As I shifted my body in his direction, my leg slipped off the sill.

_I'm falling!_ I screamed as loud as I could, but still, I heard nothing. Even now, I wonder if it was only audible within my own head; I shut my eyes to keep from panicking.

In a second, I no longer felt the wind rushing my face and I opened my eyes. Gripping my wrist was the same boy I had just seen, with the same chilling smirk across his lips. Shock overtook me as my breathing hitched and my heart raced.

"What did I just say? Geez you don't listen," he pulled me up and into the apartment room to safety before closing the open window. "Humans are so interesting, aren't they?"

I parted my lips to speak, but no words were able to escape. Instead, I could only sit on the white leather couch and put my head between my knees. The man joined and sat across from me.

"I received a call from a friend of yours, who wanted to be kept anonymous so don't ask. She said you might be facing trouble due to a recent..." his face seemed to light up at the next word.

_**"Accident?"**_

With a sudden intake of breath, I had to steady the oncoming dizziness before it worsened. I kept my mouth shut tight and steered my gaze away from his. This was not the subject I had intended to discuss anytime soon.

"I take it I'm right then," he laughed, "That's good, I hate being wrong! Almost as much as I hate Shizu-chan...almost". He leaned back against the cool leather and began to speak again. "Come on, what's your name?"

I picked my head up and looked directly at him. "Before I answer any of your questions, you'd better answer some of mine!" I glared. What right does this stranger have to break in and then ask the questions?

"Whoa a bit feisty there. Alright, fine," he chuckled. "What's on your mind?"

_This idiotic bastard! He's just humoring me!_

"Who are you? And how did you get in?"

"Who, me?" he asked jokingly with an innocent look on his smug face.

_Yes you, who else, idiot?!_

"My name is Izaya Orihara. I'm an information broker. I know pretty much everything about everyone, including you, Hana Fujiwara." With a look mixed with surprise and concern, I waited for him to continue. "As for how I got in," he pulled out a small knife from the pocket of his black jacket, "Well surely you aren't **that** stupid, right?"

I tried to keep my composure, but this man was pissing me off. "Well alright then Izaya, now I know who to address the restraining order to. If you don't mind, I'd prefer to be alone right now." I stood up and walked toward the door, showing him out. He stood as well, but did not follow me to the door.

"It sucks when we don't get what we want," he shrugged and put the knife back into his pocket. "I'll leave now, but I'm afraid you'll have to see me more often than either of us would like. I mean, I guess you're cute and all, but I really can't see who would want to waste their time near someone as internally rotten as you." He smirked again and left the room with a slight wave. "See ya later..._Hana-chan_."

Right after he left my sight around the corner, I slammed the door shut with all my strength. "Damn him!" I yelled and punched the couch pillow. Less than a minute later, my cell phone beeped on the side table. Trying to calm myself, I picked it up to unlock it. When I opened the incoming message, I gripped the phone and threw it against the couch.

Don't wake up the neighbors with your tantrum.

-Izaya


	2. Chapter 2: Unexpected Suggestion

"Good morning, Hana-chan!"

SLAM

Why is he here so early?! I looked at my digital clock which read 7:00 A.M.

"Damn... Right on the hour?!"

I opened the door once again to see the familiar smirk of the idiot who lived three apartments down the hall.

"Now that's not nice, Hana-chan. I'd think you'd be used to me by now," he put his hand over the spot where his heart would be if he had one. "You know how much that hurts, don't you?"

Considering his mocking laughter at the end of that sentence, not a lot.

"Not that I don't love the excessive insults and your condescending nature, I don't see why you feel the need to visit every day; I'm fine. My life is going on just fine without your help." I leaned against the doorframe, blocking his path.

"I don't think you know how many times I've heard some person say that, and then guess what?" he pushed his way in and spun in a circle as he walked. "They all end up dead because they couldn't handle the pressure!" He looked over at me, "Whether I care about you or not, something keeps me from allowing the same from happening to you."

"Aw, now don't I feel special..." I placed my hand over my heart, in a similar fashion as he did before. "Look, it's been a week. You don't need to keep coming over here to check up on me," I shifted my weight to my left hip, supported by my hand.

Suddenly Izaya stopped in his tracks and began to laugh. "That's a great idea!"

Confused, I was taken aback by his unexpected reaction. "What do you mean? I didn't suggest anything..."

He glanced at me and smiled a bright, mock smile that proved I wouldn't like what he had to say. "I don't have to come here to check on you! I can just stay here and monitor you much more easily!"

Even with a cheery tone in his voice, the statement didn't process any easier. I stood there for a few seconds, trying to find the words to respond.

"See? You're speechless! I knew you'd agree!" with a change in tone, he asks, "Am I right?" as if expecting me to meltdown.

"Why?"

"Hm? What do you mean 'Why'?"

"Why do you even need to monitor me? Are you trying to torture me? You idiot! Who'd want you around?!" In a rush to find an insult, I added, "You may be attractive, but your overbearing personality cancels that out!"

Silence fell. Then awkwardness. Had I said something wrong? I was just mimicking his insult from our first meeting.

"Attractive?" he repeated, and he seemed to be genuinely curious. He walked over to me and patted my head like he would a child. "Hana-chan, do you have a crush? Little tsundere, how cute," following this was a smile. It was barely any better than his usual smirks. "Unfortunately, I'm just too old for you," he laughed. "Now listen to me like the good little girl I know you are." His grin grew even larger, if that was possible, as he took in my shocked face. "I'll move in right away, just for you! Now you don't have to worry about your pathetic life being too lonely!"

I stood there silently in shock, unable to utter a word.

Did he really just say that to me?! I knew he was a pushy jerk but this is taking it too far!

"See? So obedient" He patted my head once more as I stood in front of him, before turning on his heel and walking out of the room. I felt my face grow red and my hands begin to shake with anger as I finally came back to my senses.

"Dammit, Izaya! I hate you."

Again, a beep came from my phone in my jeans pocket. I took it out and read the text over the locked screen.

I know.

-Izaya


	3. Chapter 3: Roomates

"Hey! Get out of my room!"

He had definitely made himself at home. I glared as he took a place on my bed with a book in his hands. Looking up, he smiled another fake smile.

"Hello Hana-chan! What's up?"

"You know what's up, you bastard! You can't just come in here whenever you want! It's my room! Go to your own room!" This guy...was seriously pissing me off. And he had only been staying with me for a day and a half!

He put down his book and stretched out his legs.

He's so...what's the word? Skinny? No, slender...Wait, what? What am I thinking?!

I dismissed the thought and went back to the original topic at hand. "Izaya, get up. I don't care if you are older than me. Get out."

He sat up and crossed his legs. "You're just bitter. I think you need to calm down a little." He laid back down and closed his eyes, pretending to sleep, his seemingly constant smirk, however, was firmly in place. "Feel free to come back when your opinion matters."

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! I've only known him a week and I already want to kill him! Maybe this is what that guy he's always mentioning feels. What was his name? Shizu-chan, I think.

I walked out of the room and went into the kitchen to make myself a small meal. I figured some food would calm me. After a few minutes of cooking, Izaya wandered into the kitchen area.

Great. Just what I need.

"What are you making, Hana-chan?" he asked.

"Nothing special. Just some eggs for an egg sandwich or something," I responded.

He took a few steps closer. "Smells good. You know, you just might be a decent cook."

What?! A compliment? From the douchebag puppet master himself?

"Uh, I really don't know how to cook a lot of things. Only simple stuff like this," my cheeks lightly flushed with contentedness from the compliment.

Izaya leaned against the counter; I could feel his intense eyes on me as I turned up the heat of the stove. "You might have potential if you practice. You could be as good a cook as Namie."

The compliment immediately was thrown out the window at that. "Namie? Who's she? Your girlfriend or something?" I figured with how often he teased me, I couldn't let him live this one down.

"Girlfriend? Ha, no way," he displayed an "I-couldn't-give-a-damn-about-her" face. "She used to work for me at my office. Cooked, cleaned, things like that."

I finished my eggs and turned off the stove before putting them onto a slice of toasted bread with cheese.

It's weird. Izaya is being surprisingly tolerant...Maybe this won't be as bad as I thought.

"Make me some?"

If looks could kill, he would've been laying in a puddle of his own blood. Just when I thought he was being decent for once.

"Make your own damn food!" I threw the spatula at him and stormed out with my plate.

Then something caught my attention. The sound of the sparks and lighting of the stove fire. I turned back and saw Izaya searching through cabinets and trying to find the right ingredients.

I sighed, "Right...I haven't shown you where everything is yet." I put my plate onto the table near the couch and walked back into the hot kitchen. Pointing to one cabinet after another and explaining their contents was tiresome.

He leaned over in front of me to pick something up from the cabinet on the right of me. Only problem, he was on the left. I didn't bother stopping him, as it would only take a few seconds. But he continued to lean over me for longer than it should've taken. My face started to warm up.

This guy! He's dragging this out to mess with me! And I really thought he was actually a nice person. So much for that idea...But...he really is slender, and his black hair looks soft.

"Hana-chan?"

With a jolt, I stepped back as if to step away from those thoughts. "Ah! Yes?"

He stood over the stove and glanced over his shoulder at me. "Are you okay?" he again graced me with that stupid smirk I was already tired of seeing, "Your face is a bit red. You aren't embarrassed, are you?"

He really is a jerk.

"Of course not."

He shrugged then went back to making his meal without saying another word. I decided to eat over the counter instead of going into the living room.

"So what's your deal?" I asked casually. I didn't think I could put up with him and his attitude for long.

He chuckled in response, but didn't look at me. "I could ask you the same thing. I didn't try to kill myself, did I?"

"I didn't try to kill myself!" I defended, "I fell!" The man only raised an eyebrow as he glanced back over his shoulder. Finishing my sandwich, I rinsed the plate in the sink. "You know what? I don't even want to talk to you." Before allowing him to rebuttal, I rushed out of the kitchen into my bedroom, and locked the door.


	4. Chapter 4: Confrontation

After what seemed to be an hour of lying on my bed, lost in thought, I heard the doorknob jiggling, then clanking. I sat up and watched as the door slowly swung open to reveal Izaya, trusted pocket knife in his fist, and the aroma of cooked eggs filled the room. I chose not to comment and put my head under my pillow, hoping he'd get the hint and go away. But of course, he did not.

"Hey, you never told me why you're here in the first place," I said slightly muffled under my pillow.

"Hm? I figured that would be obvious." He stepped into the room and sat near my feet on the far edge of the bed. "C'mon Hana-chan. Don't be stupid. I'm an information broker, remember? I know things. Including what happened to you." He paused before continuing. "Trust me, it's the last thing I want to be doing with my time," he sighed, "but it's got to be done sometime."

_Last thing he wants to be doing... He's treating me like a child he's been forced to babysit._

"Don't treat me like a child. Same with this 'Hana-chan' thing. Even if you are 6 years older, I'm not a child," I snapped back. I lifted the checkered pillow off of my head and smoothed my hair.

"Aw, but it's so much fun! But like I said before, I don't see why anyone would willingly spend time with you. You know, I -"

Cutting him off, I raised my voice, "Shut up!" Now I was genuinely angry, and I was having trouble hiding it. Soon, everything just came out in a flash. "I could say the same about you! You're manipulative and maniacal, you take what you want without asking, you barge into my room all the time, and so much more! You have no idea how much you piss me off...Izaya!"

He said nothing, but instead chuckled and gave a light sigh. "Yeah I get that reaction a lot. I'm used to it at this point," he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, "Honestly, I'm actually pretty amused by it." He said this with a grin that sent chills down my spine.

_I can never take this guy seriously. I wonder what goes through that twisted head of his? _

With a tired yawn, I fell back onto my soft comforter. Noticing Izaya still unmoved, I figured I should say something. "I'm pretty tired. You should go. Wouldn't want you getting any ideas, you pervert." I laughed lightly at my own joke, but the thought seemed to linger a little while.

"Right, as if someone would want to do anything to you," he retorted as he pushed himself up. "Oh, by the way..."

Opening one eye, I glanced in his direction. "Hm?"

"Isn't it about time you told me?"

"Told you what?"

_What are you getting at? Just spit it out!_

_"The accident."_


	5. Chapter 5: An Accident To Remember

"The accident?"

My eyes widened as the flashback came back into mind. Me...standing alone...looking out...a pool of red.

_Why does he need to talk about this now? Doesn't he know everything already?_

Stuttering, I choked on my words. "Why...Why do you want to know about that? I thought you said you knew." Just the thought made my stomach churn.

_I've got a bad feeling._

"I do know the basis of the situation. But I need to hear it from a primary source," he actually looked serious for once. "Seeing as you're the only one left, guess who gets that fun responsibility?" Izaya pointed a finger at me, half-joking and half-serious. "And just for entertainment, I'd like to hear your personal feelings on the subject. No doubt you've got a storm in there," he poked my forehead lightly. "I just love humans."

_He talks about humans as if he isn't one himself!_

He interrupted my thoughts with the grasp of my wrist. "But anyways, down to business," he pulled me up and crossed his own legs. "Tell me, Hana-chan. What happened?"

I balled my hand into a fist and held it in my lap. I didn't have a choice in the matter, even if I didn't trust him yet.

_If I'm not going to man up now, I won't at all._

"It happened a year and a half ago. I was walking home from school with my boyfriend when we noticed a police car chasing another car drive past us. While the man being chased sped by us, he put his gun out the window and shot. I ducked, while my boyfriend jumped in the way to protect me."

I took a deep breath before continuing my story. I was surprised at how intently Izaya was listening. "He was bleeding fast, and I tried to save him, but he lost consciousness too quickly. I had no time to call an ambulance before he was dead at my feet. I knew there wasn't anything I could do, and I was scared, so I ran home, begging for any kind of help. When I rushed in, things were strangely quiet. It only took less than 2 minutes for me to find my family, also dead in my sister's room. I had realized that the man with the gun was driving away from my house, as if he had just been there. It wasn't hard to put two and two together."

"I see. So all people close to you." Izaya leaned back, balancing the weight with his arms behind him. "And you did nothing to save them."

"There was nothing I could do!" Tears welled up in my eyes without me even noticing them. My fist drew tighter as my body and heart clenched.

"That's where you're wrong; you could've taken the bullet. You could've called immediately after the shooting. You could've left school at an earlier time to avoid the shots altogether." he peered at me with his deep red eyes, "There's always something you can do. You were just too selfish to choose one."

_He really is here to torture me._

"You're not helping."

Just when I thought he couldn't get more condescending, he leaned in very little and whispered, "Exactly."


	6. Chapter 6: New Face and Uninvited Guest

My eyes slowly opened to see the blinding sun reflected off of my pale, colorless walls. I sat up groggily and rubbed my eyes. When I looked at my clock, it read 9:07 A.M.

"Ugh, I overslept," I muttered to myself and pulled my tired body out of bed. Shoving my feet into my slippers, I stood and stretched my arms above my head before sluggishly walking to my door.

When I took a step into the living room, I noticed it was unusually quiet. However, I chose to push the thought aside for the time being and get myself some breakfast. The first thing I noticed when I walked into the kitchen was the huge pile of dishes overflowing the sink.

_What the hell?! I know I didn't use up this many dishes yesterday!_

Then it hit me...Izaya.

I charged to his room and banged on the door with my balled fist. No answer. Again, I hit the door with just as much force as the first time.

"Izaya! Open the door!"

Still no answer. I wondered if he was home, or if he was just ignoring me. I turned the doorknob and was surprised to find it unlocked. Pushing the door open, I raised my voice to scold him, but Izaya was nowhere in sight. I stepped in and looked around but still couldn't find him. Just as I turned my back to leave, I heard a ding noise from his computer and saw a chat room window pulled up on the screen.

_Izaya uses chat rooms? Surprising..._

Curious, I took a look and saw a conversation between three others, Taro Tanaka, Saika, and Setton. However, there were no messages coming from Izaya's side. I decided not to pry anymore and began to leave the room.

"What are you doing in my room, Hana-chan?"

I turned to see Izaya standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame with one arm and holding his jacket over the other.

"I was just trying to find you." The look on his face scared me a little. "I promise I didn't read anything!"

He took a few steps forward and met me face to face. "Well now you've found me. What do you want?"

_He sure is in a bad mood today._

"I-it's nothing. I'll just be going." I tried to maneuver around him while keeping a smile, but I'm sure it was obvious I was intimidated.

Izaya sighed and threw his jacket on his bed. "No, its fine. Come here, I'll show you." he motioned for me to follow him as he sat in the chair in front of the computer. I trailed behind him and saw him pull up the chat box.

"See?" he clarified, "Just talking to some friends. It looks like they're going to a movie later on and I was considering tagging along." He stood up again. "I was out for a while earlier and I just got back."

Interrupting our conversation was the ringing sound of the doorbell. "Ah, I'll go see who that is." I made my way to the door and opened it.

"Hi, does Izaya Orihara live around here?"

When the door opened, I saw a young man with golden blonde hair and a yellow bandana around his neck.

"Oh...yes, come in. Let me get him." I stepped back to allow him to enter and went back to Izaya's room. I opened the door and poked my head inside. "Izaya, you have a visitor."

He glanced up at me and minimized his browser. "Alright, thanks. I'm coming."

I closed the door and looked behind me to see the boy sitting on the couch with a disrupting expression on his face. Stepping toward him, I asked, "Can I get you anything?"

"No, thanks."

I wonder what's wrong. And why he needs to see Izaya. Well, Izaya is a well-known informant, so I guess it's not that strange.

Soon, Izaya emerged from his room with his trademark smirk on his face. "Ah, Kida," he began. "It's been a little while, hasn't it?" He glanced at me. "Oh, that's right. You two have never met, right? This is Hana Fujiwara," he said while gesturing toward me. "Hana-chan, this is an old friend of mine, Masaomi Kida. He's about your age."

"I'm not your friend, Izaya," Kida glared. He obviously had something important on his mind.

Traditionally bowing, I ignored his last comment and tried to remain friendly. "It's nice to meet you, Kida. I can see you two have something to talk about, so I'll just leave for now." I could feel the tension in the air, and so I tried to get out of there as fast as I could.

_Even though we've been living together for over a month, I still know next to nothing about what Izaya does._

Out of curiosity, I found myself against the door, trying to quietly listen in on the discussion. I really couldn't make out any sentences, only minor phrases.

"Yellow Scarves"..."Black Rider"..."Saki Mikajima"..."Your fault!"

_I don't understand. What's going on?_

Then I only heard a loud slam followed by silence. I opened the door and it creaked slowly. "Um, Izaya?"

"Yeah?"

"If you aren't busy, can I ask you a question?"

This seemed to catch his interest only slightly. "Sure. What's up?"

I was genuinely curious about what he does, but I was a little scared to ask. Especially with how he reacted to me in his room; it's almost as if he's hiding things.

"If you don't mind my asking, what does an information broker actually do?"


	7. Chapter 7: The Truth?

I think my question may have partly surprised Izaya, and partly intrigued him. Either way, it showed in his face that his interest was grasped.

He tapped the spot next to him, motioning for me to sit down. I joined him on the couch and faced him.

_No backing down now._

"So? What's your job?"

He leaned back and smiled. "I get information, I give information, I store information. That is what an information broker does. People pay me to find out things and relay messages. I pay others to do jobs either for myself or at another's request." He was explanatory, yet vague at the same time. "I'm good at keeping secrets and at lying, although I rarely need to do the latter. Quite frankly, humans are my playthings, and I keep an eye on all of them. In a way, I'm like God, even if I don't believe in such a concept."

I see. He enjoys manipulating people for his own entertainment. Watching people in pain and suffering, because of his doing, brings him amusement. Dangit. I'm sure I've gotten myself tangled in his plans by now.

I only nodded in acknowledgement. "Ah. I understand." In all honesty, I don't think I had anything else I could say. Now everything I said, and everything I did, could be used against me. And I was a fool to not realize it until now.

"Is that too much for you to handle? You look a bit pale." His voice sounded even more condescending and evil than before. I couldn't tell if it had always been like that or not.

"I'm alright. Ya know," I smiled, "I'm glad you shared this with me."

_Kill him with kindness? I guess it's my only option since he feeds on anger and drama._

I tried changing the subject, and that's when I remembered.

"Didn't you say you were going to a movie?"

"Right... That's in a few minutes." He stood and offered a hand to help me up.

_What a jerk._

"Maybe you'd like to come with?" He held out his calm hand and kept on that mask of a smile.

_Did he just ask me out? No way; he has something planned, I bet._

I stood without accepting his hand. "Fine," I answered. "Let me just grab my jacket. Don't try anything while we're there...pervert." I laughed while taking up my jacket in my arms.

"Like I said before, you're not my type," he responded.


	8. Chapter 8: An Interesting Encounter

"Wow, I hadn't noticed how big Ikebukuro was until now!" I marveled at the sights around town as we walked together. I had only just moved to Shinjuku about 2 months ago and I hadn't paid attention to local sight-seeing or traveling into the nearby cities.

He chuckled, "You look like a little kid, gawking like that." He patted my head once again with an amused look on his face.

Before I could get out any words, we heard a thunderous shout from a few feet away.

"Izaayaaaa!"

He turned around to reveal a man with blonde hair, wearing a bartender uniform and bluish-purple sunglasses hiding his eyes.

"Shizu-chan!" Izaya smirked, "Funny seeing you here."

_Wait, "Shizu-chan"?! This guy? He's nothing like I imagined!_

The man marched up to us and threw a fist at Izaya, which he easily dodged. "I told you not to call me that!" he raged, "I'm gonna make sure you die today, flea! I'll see that your face goes into the ground!" He started to pull the lamp post out of the nearby sidewalk.

_So strong! He can't be human!_

"Aw, but Shizu-chan," Izaya teased, which only made him more irritated, "If you do that, I won't be able to finish my date with Hana-chan here."

_D-date? Stop being stupid! This isn't a date!_

I blushed and jumped back, unable to defend my case. The blonde brute gripped the post and threw it behind him as if it didn't weigh anything at all. He stepped closer, straining to remain calm.

I bowed out of intimidation and stammered, "Um...my name is Hana Fujiwara." Looking back up at him, I added, "It's nice to meet you..." I paused once I realized I didn't actually know his name. I held back the urge to call him "Shizu-chan".

"The name's Shizuo Heiwajima," he prompted as he removed the sunglasses and tucked them into his vest pocket. He studied me for a few seconds and then glared intently at Izaya. "So are you preying on little girls now, Izaya? What the hell is wrong with you, you sick bastard!"

_L-Little girl? He acts like I'm in grade school or something!_

"Well actually...um" I stuttered, trying not to make him even more angry than he was.

Izaya jumped behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. "Actually, Shizu-chan, she's just my age," he lied. "What's wrong? Are you jealous that I've found a cute girl like her?"

My face heated as I rapidly shook my head. "N-No, it's really not what you think. We aren't together!"

Unfortunately, Shizuo hadn't even heard me before he was already reaching for the next lamp post in the line. He gripped it tight and lifted it with ease.

_He wouldn't attack us out in the open, would he?_

As Shizuo held the post over his head, I outstretched my arms widely. I didn't know really what I was getting myself into; my body seemed to move on it's own.

"Stop!" I yelled, "Just leave him alone!" I knew I couldn't do anything against Shizuo, all I could hope to do was calm him down. However, my effort didn't have the desired effect. He just ignored me, his eyes focused on the raven-haired jerk behind me. He wasn't going to slow down. I shut my eyes quickly and waited for the impact.

All of a sudden, I felt a forceful push and found myself on the ground as a huge crash erupted behind me. I jumped up and looked around frantically, but I couldn't see anything through the thick dust and smoke that filled the air around us.

_Crap! What happened?!_

A gleam of metal reflecting the sun caught my eye. As the dust settled, there was Izaya, holding his prized knife against Shizuo's neck; and Shizuo, gripping Izaya by the collar.

"Shizu-chan," he began with an angry look in his eyes, "If you are going to go ballistic, that's fine. But leave Hana out of it. If you hurt her, I'll kill you." He actually appeared to be serious, a much different look than his normal idiocy.

_He's not messing around this time!_

"Wait!" I knew I shouldn't jump in, especially with what had just happened not even a minute before, but I found myself standing in the middle once again.

It didn't seem like my interference was making much of a difference for the situation. But with a shove of his arm, Shizuo let go of Izaya's collar. "Tch, I don't have time to deal with you anyway...I won't let you off easy again, so enjoy it while you can." He backed off and pulled a cigarette out of the box in his pocket. Lighting it, he glanced at me again with an indifferent expression and ambled off in the opposite direction without another word.

I took a deep breath. A few seconds passed and I heard a somewhat sinister chuckle to the right of me. I looked up and saw Izaya, sliding his knife back into his jacket pocket, with a smile spread across his lips.

"Hana-chan, are you alright?"

With a light blush warming my cheeks, I responded, "Yes. I'm fine."

He paused, letting out a gentle sigh. "We should just go back. I'm sure you're a bit shaken up, huh?"

"I'm really okay, I swear!"

He placed his hand on my shoulder and smiled again.

_What's going on? He's suddenly changed his mind?_

"Thank you."


	9. Chapter 9: Bonding

When we made it back to the apartment, Izaya obnoxiously fell onto the couch with a loud sigh. "Darn Shizu-chan! He always ruins everything!" It wasn't hard to tell he was joking.

I knew that he wasn't serious, but even so, I wondered what he was really thinking. Glancing at him, I remembered what he had said before.

_"If you do that, I won't be able to finish my date with Hana-chan here!"_

I looked away and shuddered. The thought of Izaya and I on a date disgusted me. With how much of a maniacal jerk he has been, I couldn't imagine being romantically involved with him in any way, shape, or form. I shook the thought from my mind and walked toward the kitchen area.

"I'm gonna to make some tea," I called from over the counter, "Want some?"

"Sure, thank you." he replied, "Ah, Hana-chan, do you have any ootoro?" He looked up with a curious expression.

"Let me see," I opened the fridge and peered inside at the almost bare shelves. "No, sorry..." With a slight pause, I added, "I didn't know you liked tuna. I do too."

The man put on a smile, that seemed to be sincere, but I knew better by this point. "Yeah, fatty tuna is the best!"

I grinned, happy to have found something in common with him. Casually shutting the fridge door, I continued, "I'll have to pick some up another time."

I pulled the tea out of the cupboard, green tea as always, and began boiling a pot of water on the stove. After a few minutes, I called, "Hey, Izaya. Are you going to use the T.V.? I want to watch a movie."

No response.

"Izaya?" I peered out of the kitchen and didn't see him sitting on the couch anymore. Shrugging, I walked back to the stove and waited for the water to finish boiling before turning off the fire. I made two cups of tea and brought them out into the living room. Setting them on the coffee table, I sat on the couch and put my feet up before grabbing the remote and turning on the television.

I scrolled through the menu of movies playing and came across the title that I recognized.

_Hm, I haven't seen this one yet, but I really wanted to._

"This should be good," I muttered and put the remote next to me as the movie had just begun. About five minutes into the beginning, I heard a door open and turn to see Izaya stepping out of his room.

"What are you watching, Hana-chan?" he asked as he leaned both arms on the top of the couch. He noticed the cup of tea on the table and walked around to pick it up, then sat next to me. "Oh, this is that new movie that just came out, isn't it? I heard it's good."

"Awesome. Now shut up so I can watch it," I scolded, turning my attention back to the screen.

"Movies like these are so predictable. It's pathetic, really." He leaned back onto the leather and threw his head back with a sigh, "Can't people come up with any new, original ideas?" I gave him an irritated look without saying anything.

"It's true, Hana-chan. It's obvious." Izaya pointed to the screen, "See that girl? She's bound to end up with him," he commented while pointing to a second character on the screen.

_Can't this idiot just shut up?!_

Still, I kept my temper under control, shooting only a sharp glare in response. He was pissing me off, but I didn't want to spoil the once-in-a-lifetime moment of "bonding" - if it could even be called that - with my roommate. Although it was a little late for that.

"Seriously. He's going to cheat on his girlfriend, get the main girl pregnant, and then ditch her because he can't deal with the pressure," he explained, pointing out each character not even five seconds after they came on screen.

_Damn his deduction skills._

My irritation was building up. "Stop spoiling things! If you don't want to watch it, then go away." I was sure he had better things to do anyways.

"It's not that I don't want to watch, I'm just pointing out the flaws. They're pretty significant, don't you think? I'm sure you noticed it too, right?" he questioned.

I sighed. "It's not about whether or not the flaws are obvious, Izaya. Sure, I've seen a ton of movies that all turn out the same: the girl gets the guy, the best friend is a backstabber, whatever. I know those cliché things happen in most movies." I leaned back as well and watched the screen. "But the reason why people watch them, or at least why I like to watch them, is because of the story. The plot that builds up. Sure, they might all end the same, but the way of getting to the end is always different. There's a different cast of characters each time. The way they're introduced and how they all interact; those are the best things about movies like this. It might seem to be going one way, and you think for sure you've got it all mapped out, but then they throw some kind of twist at you. It's interesting to see how each story unfolds into something bigger."

Izaya didn't respond, but only watched me with a surprised expression, his eyes the size of dinner plates, a rather amusing look for him actually. I had never seen him caught off-guard before, and certainly not because of anything I'd said.

"What?" I asked as I turned to look at him.

"Ah, it's nothing," he replied, casually waving his hand, shaking the unusual expression off of his face as quickly as it came.

_It's obviously something..._

However, I brushed it off and continued to watch the movie. Izaya didn't make any more comments, but sat and watched the television screen quietly. Had I actually said something that intrigued him?  
Just as I had thought, a plot twist occurred, throwing the movie in a completely different direction than either of us thought. I sat practically on the edge of the leather couch while the man beside me leaned back, slouched comfortably in his seat. But even with his cool and collected demeanor, I felt a slight jerk of movement on the couch and I realized that he had flinched with surprise just as I had. I was tempted to make a comment, running in his smug face that I was right, but I figured that might be a little much, so I left it alone.

When the movie ended, I stood and stretched my arms over my head. "That was a good movie," I said to no one in particular. Yawning, I looked at the time and it was 6:30 p.m.

_Wow, it's still so early. I'm not really hungry or anything. I guess I'll just go to bed._

"I'm gonna turn in early tonight. Feel free to make yourself some dinner if you're hungry." I turned to walk to my bedroom. "I'll probably come back out in a few hours to lock up and do the dishes."

"Alright, Hana-chan. I'll be up for a while working, so don't bother." Izaya stood and went into the kitchen to make dinner I presumed.

Nodding, I opened my door. "Thanks, I'll see ya tomorrow." I could feel his lingering stare as I walked into my bedroom, closing the door behind me.


End file.
